About the TFOC

The TFOC is rooted in two core beliefs. First, that a fair tax system is one that is progressive, transparent and that generates enough revenue to fund quality public services and provide opportunities that enable all people to thrive. And second, comprehensive participation of people at the grassroots level is integral to achieving long-term political change.

HistoryThe TFOC is the only nation-wide network of state-level tax fairness groups that use community organizing as the primary vehicle for political influence. It was established in 2004 to fill an important gap in the progressive movement by supporting state-level tax fairness advocacy efforts and facilitating connectivity across state lines. The TFOC provides a national infrastructure for tax fairness organizers to collaborate, share best practices, problem-solve, and learn the latest in messaging and communications.

Our WorkThe Tax Fairness Organizing Collaborative supports the work of its state member groups by:

Bringing together grassroots state organizing groups to exchange experiences and share best practices;

Sharing strategies across state lines and forms affinity groups to tackle common problems;

Bringing the cadres of newly minted state tax activists into the effort to reform federal tax policies; and

Building a collaborative structure through which members can better secure long-term funding to build and sustain tax organizing capacity.

Why Community Organizing?Members of the Tax Fairness Organizing Collaborative value community organizing as the primary vehicle by which to advocate for fiscal policy changes. Community organizing is a political strategy that supports the health of our democracy. It gives people a voice and a role in shaping policies that directly impact their lives. Given the vast economic divide in the U.S., involving those individuals directly impacted by economic inequality is more important than ever to counter corporate influence.

What is community organizing? In short, it is bringing together many voices to generate collective power and strength in order to influence an issue. The goal is to challenge the balance of power through a ‘bottom-up’ approach to citizen involvement to win improvements in people’s lives. At the heart of community organizing are inclusion, ownership, relationship-building, and leadership development.

Community organizing to affect state fiscal policy presents unique challenges, but remains critically important to the broader progressive movement. The intense concentration of wealth at the top of the economic ladder has dramatically altered the balance of power in our state and federal governments. Organizing people who are most impacted by economic inequality is a critical strategy for developing policies that work for people at all points along the economic spectrum.